Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to ensure that any spare land sold off by the NHS is used to build affordable homes for low-paid NHS staff.

The Government is committed to ensuring that National Health Service land is used in a way that ensures the best possible services for patients, the best value for taxpayers in freeing additional resources for reinvestment in new facilities and services, and which supports wider housing objectives. This includes freeing surplus NHS land sufficient for 26,000 homes.

As part of this, we recognise that in some areas it may be beneficial for NHS organisations to use their surplus land to provide housing for their staff. We have been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to understand better the housing need for NHS staff, and for the first time have started to collect data on where NHS organisations are already using their land in this way. The need for affordable homes for NHS staff differs across the country, and we are working with the NHS, housing associations, and other partners to explore opportunities for developing local solutions.